Classroom book creation orientated to Emergent curriculum

Emergent Curriculum

Children between the ages of one and five do
not learn because they are taught. They learn
as a result of their own doing…through
actions, relationships, inquiries, opportunities,
and repetition. This knowledge is the
foundation of SFLC’s emergent curriculum.

(www.silvertonfamilies.org)

In my particular experience teaching children 3-5 years old, the children' necessity to understand the process of nature, transformation and growing around then have been expressed through natural or spontaneous events of communication and interaction between children and teachers or even between them.  Hence, the creation of new format to explain and aboard those concepts have been the results of exhaustive investigation and brain storm process. 

The present book was developed in attention to the explained necessity, with the intention to attend the children inquiry of explanation about some natural changes in the sky (night-day) and the presence of the moon and the sun in their dairy routine.  (Wake up-go to school-eat during the day and go to sleep during the night= why?)  Other concepts are implied in relationship with the curriculum and the lesson plan previously developed by the teachers.

Beautiful, lonely moon.

Author and illustrator:  Amarilys Reyes

Age group: 5-8 years old.  

Specific literature focus:  Social and emotional Growth: Cooperation, Teamwork, Everybody is important.

Summary of the book:

The moon recreates the sky with its beautiful presence. However, she is alone and she is sad because of it.  One boy is sensible to the moon’s feelings and in conjunction with other animals, tries to help her.  They decide to bring a new friend to the moon, the sun, which will accompany her.  The story complement the idea of natural event, when says that sometimes sun and moon can stay really close to each other provide to the sky a beautiful image of calm and brightness.   

The book recreates the sun and the moon in colorful landscapes, and funnies animal’s animation in natural contexts.  The book uses human feelings and forms to symbolize that children would help others if they pay attention to other’s feelings.  Complement of roles and cooperation are implied through the story. 

The story also include the figure of a regional animal: The Morrocoy, who live in some plains areas in South America. This animal will bring to children new concepts about other species and cultures. 


TEXT:

 

In the whispering night

the lonely moon starts to arise.

Shadows are around and the moon is unable to see

the wonderful world under her.

The moon feels she is solitary in the sky.

The boy and his animals look at the beautiful lonely moon

They are concern about her feelings and desire to help her.

- Do not worry beautiful, lonely moon, -says the boy

We will help you.

They thought and thought and thought, then, one idea appears:

Do you want a friend to play with, beautiful moon?

You would not be lonely anymore and the sky will be full.

How can we help you beautiful lonely moon?

If we will catch the sun, says the horse, he will stay close to you soon!

All agree with the wonderful idea.

At the next morning, the animals and the boy start to work together to catch the sun.

However, everybody was too heavy to be carried out or too weak to hold up the others.

 They decide together the best way to go up and tie the sun with a rope.  They climbed one over one since the biggest to the smallest.  The mission was difficult.

- Hurry up! Catch the rope!, Says the dog

- Oh my!  It is more slippery than soap!, says the boy

- What noises! what a mess!, says the piggy: 

- Do not push me! Do not stomp me! Do not press!

- That is not a ladder, that is my neck!

Working in a team, finally, they catch the sun with the rope.

-         Yuppie!  We have the sun beautiful moon, who your friend soon could be. Now how can we tie him?

-         I know how, -said morrocoy turtle who was behind the tree, hidden all the time-  Tie the sun to me, so I would walk slowly and the moon might soon reach him.

-         Good idea! Hooray! Everybody cheer.

Now the moon has a friend to play with and the sky is full every day.

In the morning the sun walk in the sky, in the night the moon offers her beauty.

Sometimes, they are together and the sky is bright and calm.

Everybody will remember how lonely you were beautiful moon, but now you will not be lonely anymore.

If you see a little Morrocoy walking in your garden or one of his cousin turtles doing the same in the park, you will understand why he walks so slowly.  It is because the sun is still tie to them until the end of the world.

Comments and Recommendations for parents and educators:

Beautiful, lonely Moon:  Offers to children amazing visual stimuli, with brilliant colors and animation.  The book provides reflex ion and emotional vision of the world, trying to introduce to children concepts of cooperation and verbal communication to solve problems.  

The story reflects the importance of everybody without differences: Every person have a role and every action is important in teamwork.   The book would be read to older preschoolers, however, concept more advanced, as the “eclipse” as a natural event in the sky, would be explained in successive ages (6-8 years old and beyond).

The book could be used in science curriculum such as event in the sky, animal variety and in social-emotional activities to promote cooperation without prevalence of roles.